Improvement in wood pavements



UNITED STATES PATENT OEEIGE;

WILLIAM W. BALLARD, OF ELMIRA, NEW YORK.

IMPROVEMENT IN WOOD PAVEMENTS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 99,391, dated February l, 1870.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM W. BALLARD, of Elmira, in the county of Ohemun g and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Wood Pavements; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full and correct description of the same, sufficient to enable others skilled in the class to which my invention appertains to fully understand the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which make part of this specication, and in which- Figures 1 and 2 are perspective views of a part of my improved pavement; and Fig. 3 shows the side, front, top, and bottom of the blocks used in it.

Like letters of reference indicate like parts in the several gures.

The nature of my invention consists in a pavement constructed of blocks having beveled sides and square ends, so set on a proper foundation that the beveled sides touch at the bottom, formin g a wedge-shaped space between the lengths of the blocks, while the square ends of each two, three, or more blocks are apart, leaving a square space between them, the spaces between the sides and ends of the blocks being iilled with concrete or any other suitable material.

A in the drawings represents the blocks, the sides of which are beveled upwardly, vleaving the surface of the blocksless wide than the bottom. The ends of these blocks are square, and are set apart on proper foundation, so as to leave a square space, b, while the beveled sides of the blocks,touchin g at the bottom, form a wedgeshaped space, a. These spaces a and b are/iilled with concrete, or any other suitable material, rmly tamped in and down.

In wood pavements'formed with beveled blocks, as now laid, the blocks are set with their ends touching each other, having only the spaces between the sides iillediwith concrete or other material. Hot weather shrinks the blocks in the only direction possible, that of their length, and rain and damp settle in between the ends, rotting and loosening them. This defect I overcome by my construction of pavement. The spaces between the ends of the blocks being iilled in with concrete, firm] y tamped in, the blocks are wedged in firmly lengthwise, much more so than is possible when set with their ends touching each other without any concrete between them. No water can get between the ends, as the concrete does not allow it to soak through.

It is not absolutely necessary to have a lling between each two blocks, as a illing well tamped in after each second or third block will tightly wedge together the ends of the intermediate blocks.

I do not claim the beveled blocks, nor the lling of concrete in the wedge-shaped spaces between the sides of the blocks, as I am well aware that they are not new; but,

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new therein, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

A pavement constructed of blocks having beveled sides and square ends, when the blocks are so set on a proper foundation that a wedge-shaped space, c, is formed between their sides, which touch at the bottom, and a square space, b, between their ends, which are apart, and when the said spaces a and b are filled in with concrete, or any other suitable material, as herein described and shown.

The above specification of my improvement in wood pavements signed this 20th day of December, 1869.

WILLIAM W. BALLARD.

Witnesses:

HENRY A. JOHNSTON, NV. P. OOLLEY. 

